Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Analysis: A tapestry of testimony in the trial into George Floyd's death

Analysis: A tapestry of testimony in the trial into George Floyd's death

The trial into George Floyd's death was never going to be comfortable to watch. But trauma in the courtroom is mounting every day, projecting a compelling and tragic drama across America.

Eventually, the trial will narrow in on the question of whether police officer Derek Chauvin is guilty or not of murder or manslaughter after restraining Floyd with a knee to his neck for more than nine minutes last May.

But trials are also about the constructing of stories, as skillful lawyers build competing narratives surrounding alleged crimes, the backstory leading to the fateful moment and character sketches of those involved.

Testimony so far is creating a rich tapestry of daily life at the intersection of East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis, where the notorious events unfolded. And the dignity and decency of a multi-racial group of witnesses — whom one prosecution lawyer "a veritable bouquet of humanity" — has created some of the most affecting moments yet: Videos showed witnesses pleading with Chauvin to let Floyd get up as he cried for his mother, or to call an ambulance after he lost consciousness.

Bystander Charles McMillan, a 61-year-old man who had appeared composed and confident on the stand was reduced to sobs as prosecutors played video of Floyd's arrest. McMillan had tried to convince Floyd to get into the police car before he was pinned down on the street. Store clerk Christopher Martin testified that he feels "guilt" because he wonders if he had not challenged a $20 bill Floyd used to buy cigarettes, the awful cycle of events could have been avoided.

Courteney Batya Ross, George Floyd's girlfriend, gave testimony about Floyd's life.


On Thursday, Floyd's girlfriend, Courteney Ross, struggled through her testimony, her face lighting up as she remembered how he loved to eat out, and then dissolving in tears as she recalled their shared struggle with opioid addiction.

Long after the verdict is in, these supporting players will continue to question whether they could have done more to save Floyd. In addition to its implications for justice and politics in America, the trial also reflects life here, its inequalities and cruelties leavened by citizens' humanity.

Play ball!


Baseball devotees love to wax about their sport being a metaphor for life.

They might be right this year as the crack of the bat rings more loudly than usual in socially-distanced ballparks.

A building wave of Covid-19 infections overshadowed Opening Day on Thursday. One game between the Washington Nationals and the New York Mets was postponed after a player posted a positive Covid-19 test, while at Yankee Stadium in New York, fans in a thin crowd had to show they were fully vaccinated or a post a negative Covid test before getting through the turnstiles. Still, seeing any fans in the seats after months of sports in empty stadiums with canned crowd noises was a relief.

The Toronto Blue Jays, who opened up against the Bronx Bombers, will be temporarily homeless however. With the US-Canada border closed and Covid raging in the True North, they'll be playing home games in Florida before a likely move to their minor league affiliate's stadium in Buffalo — just across the Niagara River from Canada.

Meanwhile, tension between the White House's pleas for Americans to show a little more patience and local officials rushing to reopen are playing out in the Lone Star state, as the Texas Rangers expect to welcome a full crowd to their first home game next week. President Joe Biden isn't happy, telling ESPN in an interview, that the decision was a "mistake" and the Rangers — once part owned by ex-President George W. Bush — ought to listen to Dr Anthony Fauci and other scientific experts.

Biden also said he'd support moving this year's baseball All Star Game out of Atlanta, as called for by civil rights groups to protest a discriminatory new voting law in Georgia. Major League Baseball's Commissioner Rob Manfred said the sport was always opposed to infringements of voting rights -- but he bunted on the question of whether the game should be moved, citing complicated logistics.

In Detroit, where the Tigers were playing Cleveland, the weather was more suited to snowballs than baseballs, and Motor City slugger Miguel Cabrera smashed his first home run of the season through a blizzard.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×